Belt buckles are known having a belt buckle designed with various types of key retaining means wherein one or more keys, such as household latch keys and automobile keys, is contained in the belt buckle and carried by the user for possible use as a spare key.
Generally, the known belt buckle key retainers are complex, requiring one or more specially designed interacting parts which may require difficult manipulation or special hardware, such as a screwdriver, to operate and insert or remove the key. Some of these known key retainers are bulky and require large buckle front plates in order to conceal the key and the key retaining parts. In some retainers, the key is loosely held and may rattle against the plate of the buckle wherein it is being stored. Also, some known key retainers are limited to being able to hold only one sized key having a length, width and thickness that fits the retaining parts. In this connection, there is known a key retainer that requires a specially made key adapted to fit into the buckle retainer. Still, there is known a belt buckle that employs the key as the belt tongue so that only that specifically sized key can be used with the buckle and belt combination
More specifically, one known latch key holding device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,599,920 issued on Sept. 14, 1926 to John A. Pryor and includes a key holding attachment located behind a front face plate of a buckle, flush with a back plate, and supported to extend vertically therein. The key holding attachment receives a specially designed key which has a transverse hinge connecting the key body with a key finger piece so that the finger piece folds down flat over the key body and is hidden behind the front face plate. This belt buckle and key holding attachment is limited to use with specially designed keys having a foldable end finger piece so that the key stays hidden and does not extend vertically up from behind the front face plate. Also, such belt buckle requires a large buckle face plate which may be bulky and cumbersome, in order to conceal the special key, the key holding attachment and associated parts.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,597,170 issued to F. Oldal on May 20, 1952, there is disclosed a key retaining belt buckle wherein keys are held behind a large buckle plate by a removably mounted plate insert having locating pins and designed to press against and hold two keys in position. Additionally, a cushion is required to prevent rattling of the keys in the buckle. This belt buckle is disadvantageous in that it requires a bulky, large belt buckle plate to conceal the keys, and further requires a separate plate insert and cushion to hold the keys in position and prevent movement and rattling of the keys. In many instances, it is desirable to avoid the use of large buckle plates, both from the standpoint of uncomfortable handling and wearing, as well as poor appearance and eye appeal to some wearers.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,272,410 to E. Reisman, issued on Sept. 13, 1989, there is disclosed a key belt having a key which is secured to a mounting plate on a buckle by means of a screw or bolt extending through a hole in the key head. The key must be unscrewed or unbolted from the mounting plate in order to remove such key for use. Also, the key is exposed and may not be desirable to some users to wear a key exposed on the belt.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,939 to Chabot et al discloses a belt buckle wherein the key constitutes the tongue and is secured to a T-shaped member by a pair of screws. The T-shaped member is pivotally engaged on a central pin by means of a bore within the leg of such member, so that the key acts as the belt tongue. This belt buckle design is impractical in that it requires the tightening and loosening of two screws in order to remove or insert the key. Also, only one size of key will work as the tongue since a shorter key will not reach the cross piece of the buckle and a thicker key body may not fit through the openings in the leather belt. In this connection, some automobile keys may not fit into the retaining section of the T-shaped member and, therefore, can not be secured to the buckle. Also, some keys, such as automobile keys, are substantially different in size from the house keys and would not operate as the tongue member.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a belt buckle having means for both concealing and securely retaining keys of different sizes. It is another object to provide a belt buckle for retaining a key in a simple manner, without requiring the manipulation of screws or nuts in order to secure or remove the key from the belt buckle. It is another object of the present invention to provide a belt buckle which conceals and retains keys without requiring a large buckle plate. It is another object to provide a belt buckle which securely retains a hidden key, which can be of different sizes, while preventing the key from shifting within the buckle.